Bold Chieftain wins again

HORSE RACING

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, April 27, 2008

Bold Chieftain might not have the natural talent possessed by trainer Bill Morey Jr.'s best horse - Dixie Dot Com - but he's putting together a pretty fine career in his own way.

"Dixie was a little faster; I think he had 10 triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures and topped out at 112," Morey said after Bold Chieftain won the $124,000 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Handicap by 2 lengths over Our Partner on Saturday. "That's fast. But take nothing away from (Bold Chieftain); he's improved, and he's having a strong 5-year-old campaign."

Bold Chieftain's task in Saturday's 11/16-mile grass race was made easier when defending champion Now Victory was scratched because of what trainer Dean Pederson termed a minor injury. The two California-bred horses had split two previous meetings.

"I felt very bad for that horse's connections," Morey said. "I told Dean I wished with all my heart that he was in there today."

Our Partner did his best imitation of Now Victory, speeding to a clear lead soon after the start and then maintaining it despite only modest fractions. Jockey Russell Baze pushed on Bold Chieftain midway around the second turn, but they didn't make much headway on Our Partner until early stretch.

Then Bold Chieftain dug in, passing Our Partner inside the eighth pole as none of the other three members of the field could reach contention.

"This horse doesn't have that big burst," Morey said. "As he straightens out into the stretch, he seems to wear down the other horses."

For his final workout at Golden Gate Fields in preparation for the Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Handicap, Morey put another horse with Bold Chieftain.

"He hadn't worked real fast over there, so I put some company with him just to ring his bell," Morey said. "I told the rider of the other horse if you can beat him, don't. So it was a fixed race."

There was nothing phony about Saturday's race, as Bold Chieftain finished in 1:42.36 - not nearly as fast his 1-mile victory in 1:34.72 in the March Madness Handicap on March 22 - and paid $2.60 as the 3-to-10 favorite.

"He was a little quiet in the post parade and more relaxed than usual in the race," Baze said. "I was a little concerned. On the turn the leader was starting to get away from us, so I got after him pretty good. Once he changed leads in the stretch, he jumped on the bit and cut. I was thinking, 'What was I worried about?' What a cool horse. He just keeps on winning."

Our Partner, claimed by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer for $40,000 Jan. 18, ran very well in his stakes debut.

"Once we learned Now Victory was scratched, I talked to Jerry and he said to send him out there and try to slow it down as much as you can," jockey Kyle Kaenel said. "My horse ran as hard as he could but that other horse was just too tough for him. You have to be happy when a horse that was claimed runs so well in a race like this."

The victory was Bold Chieftain's 10th in 18 starts, and he earned $75,000 to push his career total to $628,025 for an ownership group comprised of Morey, Dwaine Hall, Ernie Langbein and Ken Robinson.

Dixie Dot Com was a two-time Grade 2 and Grade 3 winner who earned $1,327,955 in a career that ended in 2002. Bold Chieftain hasn't won a graded stakes, but that could change in the Grade 3, $150,000 Berkeley Stakes on May 26 at Golden Gate Fields or the Grade 3, $300,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 17 at Emerald Downs.

Peppers Pride equals record: Unbeaten Peppers Pride won the $75,000 Russell and Hellen Foutz Distaff Handicap at SunRay Park and equaled the North American record of 16 straight victories.

Racing exclusively in her native New Mexico, Peppers Pride matched the winning streaks of Citation, Mister Frisky, Cigar and Hallowed Dreams. The 5-year-old mare was the 2-to-5 favorite in Saturday's 6-furlong race and won with a late rally by 2 lengths.

Briefly: The Pederson-trained Pleasure Grounds, who finished fourth in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby on March 8 at Bay Meadows, will be one of the favorites in today's $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes on the Gold Rush program for California-breds at Hollywood Park. ... On Saturday at Hollywood, Surf Cat ($7.20) rallied past pacesetter Desert Code in the final yards to win the Grade 2, $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap by a half-length. ... Macho Again ($14.20) outrallied lukewarm favorite Kodiak Kowboy for a half-length victory in the $115,200 Derby Trial on opening day at Churchill Downs.